


Not Alone

by miraculousagentsofkrypton



Series: Understood [2]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, sometimes kara just needs to talk to someone who understands, superhearing sucks sometimes, where Kara talks to another alien
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-02
Updated: 2019-11-02
Packaged: 2021-01-20 20:21:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21287624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miraculousagentsofkrypton/pseuds/miraculousagentsofkrypton
Summary: Kara hears cries for help 24/7 and it can be exhausting. When she hears Franklin having a rough time at work, she goes to comfort him. Or maybe he'll be the one to comfort her.
Series: Understood [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1534556
Comments: 16
Kudos: 76





	Not Alone

Sometimes the glasses just weren’t enough to drown out the rest of the world, and the sounds of people in need. For years, Kara had fought day by day to resist every instinct pulling at her to help those that cried out. There was always someone in need of help, and Kara had had to prioritize being human over easing their pain.

There were far more nights than Alex knew, when Kara had gone to sleep crying because of the sounds of pain she’d had to endure hopelessly. Nights where she’d never even closed her eyes, lost in the memories of the cries of a dead person. People she’d had the capability to save. Dead because of _ her _ choice. There was no conceivable way for someone without her abilities to understand the torture Kara had to endure every single day. 

Things had been better since she’d come out as Supergirl. She was now able to do something about it. There were still people she couldn’t save, and there were still nights she couldn’t escape the weight of their memories on her shoulders. But she now had a way to make a difference, to make an impact she couldn’t before. 

But there were some cries of pain that she still had to ignore, the hardest ones to resist; the subtle ones. Like the sound of Franklin having a quiet breakdown in the stock room for the last hour because of Mackenzie’s xenophobic comments. Kara wasn’t supposed to be able to hear him, so Kara wasn’t supposed to go comfort him. But the concern for him made it difficult to concentrate, slowly wearing down her walls.

What was she even planning on doing? She couldn’t fix the pervading xenophobia of much of the world. She couldn’t stop every mean or xenophobic remark. But she found herself leaving her desk anyway, and hesitantly letting herself into the room. Lifting her glasses for a second, she spotted Franklin huddled in the far corner, hiding behind a stack of boxes so that no normal person would see him right away.

She closed the door behind her. No one else needed to see him in such a vulnerable state. Calling his name softly so as to not startle him, she went and crouched down next to him, careful to leave him lots of personal space.

He jumped anyway, frantically turning away to wipe his tears. His attempts to hide his state were useless, as his red eyes and nose were still very prominent.

“Are you ok?” Kara wanted to slap herself. Of course he wasn’t ok, what was she thinking?

“What does it look like?” he replied irritatedly.

“I’m sorry, that was a stupid thing to ask,” she replied patiently, “I guess I just want to help, but I’m not sure how. I’m sorry Mackenzie’s a jerkface.”

He let out a bark of a laugh. The usually good natured, if timid, guy hidden behind a rise of ire. “Jerkface, that’s one way of putting it. Look, I appreciate what you’re trying to do here Kara, but just leave me alone. What I don’t need right now is another ignorant human sticking her nose into things she doesn’t understand and making it worse.”

Cold washed over her. _ Human. Right. _ Kara Danvers, just another ordinary human in a crowd of them. Kara Danvers of average intelligence and abilities, who’s only noteworthy attribute is her ability to always be smiling and happy. Because innocent and naive Kara Danvers had never experienced true pain. The only thing that made Kara sad was losing a chocolate bar. Sometimes Kara hated being _ Human _ just as much as the idea of anyone realizing she’s _ Not Human. _

She slumped against the boxes beside him, eyes never straying from the floor. “What if I told you…” She dragged a hand through her hair. “... What if I told you I did understand.”

“Sure,” he scoffed, “How could you possibly understand Kara? Hmm? Do you understand the feeling of knowing you’ll never be accepted? Of being on a foreign world, alone and constantly hiding? Of being called a freak or people being scared of you simply because they don't understand you!? Do you really understand the feeling of being so homesick you can’t breathe but knowing you can never go back!?”

“Yes,” she breathed. 

That stopped him short. “What?”

She picked at a loose string on her sweater. “Gravity was stronger, you know, back home. Sometimes I feel so light, like there’s nothing keeping me here. Like I might drift away one day.” He was scrutinizing her, eyes wide. “And the colors… our sun was red. Even my own skin looks different now, alien.”

He let out a soft, “Oh.” He was obviously struggling to grasp what she’d just confessed on some passing whim. _ What was I thinking?! _

He stuttered, “But- But you’re the most human person I’ve ever met! You’re Kara Danvers, the clumsy sunshine girl.”

She gave him a broken smile. “Kara Danvers is meant to be human.” She sighs, “That’s all she can ever be.”

He stares at her silently for a number of moments. The tears may have stopped, but Kara wasn’t sure this was any better. 

“That must be very lonely, never being yourself.” 

She tried to shrug off the sting. “It’s not that bad. My sister knows who I am.”

“Your sister’s human then.” It wasn’t a question.

She hummed in reply. 

“Is there- is there anyone else?” His meaning was clear. Where was the rest of her people?

Her voice felt stuck. She shook her head.

He must have been extremely curious, but he didn’t push. After a moment, he said, “I think I miss the food most. We had this one dish, Gloktonr, it always got stuck at the top of your mouth, but it tasted so good.”

Kara knew her truest answer, the thing she missed above all else, the peace. She missed the certainty of her future. She’d been so close to being the youngest inducted into the science guild ever. She had had the matrix and parents to determine her future spouse, someone who would have been her perfect match intellectually. Her family, all together. She missed the feeling of security, of familiarity, and everything as it should be. She’d lost that peace the moment her mother put her on that ship, and she’d never gotten it back.

Instead she said, “I miss Garatta. We used to have big tournaments every couple amzets. It was so fun, watching all the dragon riders. I used to beg my parents to let me apply for a dragon. They said no of course. I didn’t have any extra time in my accelerated science guild track.”

Franklin chuckled at the bittersweet tidbit. 

_ “Where is Ponytail? She was supposed to hand me her draft ten minutes ago!” _Kara jumped, attention snapping back to work. 

She fidgeted with her glasses. “Um, sorry I think I need to get back to work. Snapper’s asking for me.”

At that, he jumped as well. “Oh, you can-?” He tapped his ear meaningfully. She smiled shyly, nodding. “Right. I probably should as well.”

They stood up, and awkwardly walked to the door. He reached for the handle, but stopped. “You said Kara Danvers was human. May I ask what _ your _ name is?”

Shock flooded her, followed swiftly by a deep warmth. She stuck her hand out. “Kara Zor-El.”

He smiled and took her hand. “Pleasure to meet you Kara Zor-El. I hope you’ll allow me to get to know you, for real this time. Thank you,” He jerked his thumb behind them, “for this. Sometimes just knowing you’re not alone can be a big comfort.”

Her eyes crinkled. “The pleasure’s all mine.” 

They left the privacy of the room, and the Kara Danvers mask fell back into place. The rest of the day continued utterly normal, nothing belying the significant moment back in the stock room. Snapper berated her for her tardiness, Mackenzie insulted her enormous appetite, and she headed home with itching, tired eyes. But, as she got up to leave, she caught Franklin’s eye and he waved at her with knowing eyes. They were in this together, and she knew that she wasn’t alone.


End file.
